Mai Ball!

Mai has been helping out her childhood friend, Kunimitsu, every morning with football practice ever since they were little. After years of practice, Kunimitsu has been MVP 2 years in a row at the middle school nationals. One day, Reika - one of Kunimitsu's admirers - witnesses the two childhood friends practicing, and is shocked by Mai's ability to keep up. Determined to prove herself to Kunimitsu, Reika challenges Mai to a football challenge!

Caught between her childhood crush and new competition, will Mai be able to hold her composure? With a tendency to get too nervous or fantasize about Kunimitsu, Mai has a hard time playing football outside of practice. Can she stop her lewd fantasies long enough to beat Reika? [Kamas]

The author wanted Giant Girl to be a crushingly unstoppable force no one can do anything against and, in many ways, she is just that. When done right, this particular plot device is a good way to show what happens when your protagonists are cornered into a desperate situation. This, however, can only work when your characters have already faced and overcome a fair number of obstacles before which, obviously, isn't the case here.

I can't help but compare her to Eyeshield 21's Gaou because she is basically a gender swap of that character, which isn't the problem here. The problem is that by the time Gaou was introduced, we were way into the story and our protagonists had defeated quite a list of very diverse and formidable foes. Regardless of whether or not they beat him, they were given the time to properly grow into a team capable of at least facing that type of monster.

Here not only our characters are still a bunch of inexperienced rookies but we're so early into the manga (this is their second official game, I think?) the stakes aren't nearly high enough to make it exciting.

It's too bad because aside from this sadly crucial detail, the trope is relatively well depicted. Oh well, we all know what we're really here for.

And even on Eyeshield it was tricky, since the whole Story was built for that 2nd match against Ojou and when that was over, the story started to fall into all those "Sports Manga" traps it had avoided before.

The author wanted Giant Girl to be a crushingly unstoppable force no one can do anything against and, in many ways, she is just that. When done right, this particular plot device is a good way to show what happens when your protagonists are cornered into a desperate situation. This, however, can only work when your characters have already faced and overcome a fair number of obstacles before which, obviously, isn't the case here.

I can't help but compare her to Eyeshield 21's Gaou because she is basically a gender swap of that character, which isn't the problem here. The problem is that by the time Gaou was introduced, we were way into the story and our protagonists had defeated quite a list of very diverse and formidable foes. Regardless of whether or not they beat him, they were given the time to properly grow into a team capable of at least facing that type of monster.

Here not only our characters are still a bunch of inexperienced rookies but we're so early into the manga (this is their second official game, I think?) the stakes aren't nearly high enough to make it exciting.

It's too bad because aside from this sadly crucial detail, the trope is relatively well depicted. Oh well, we all know what we're really here for.

I think the author didn't have much faith in his own work, 'cause in the end the story is about them playing only that tournament, while in eyeshield they got more than 1 tournament to focus and they could make more challenges for the bats, that's why you're right in the use of the giant as an enemy for the match.

Nothing's really happened in the last 10 chapters. Pace of writing has ground to a halt. Don't remember how many chapters Mai's been out-played, out-muscled, out-schemed by Giant Girl. Now we're going to get another chapter of how Mai "powered up" because the rain stopped, only to get out-run, out-smarted, and out-hustled by Giant Girl anyway.

*sigh*

I feel like the author's out of tricks in their writing. Kunimitsu's made no contributions as a coach, Mai is just chasing the ball, and Reika's been irrelevant this whole match. I still don't get the point of having her sit out the first half of the game when she hasn't done anything in the second half. How is she more worn out than everyone else?

They should just stop playing soccer and the author should just turn this into an ecchi harem rom-com. Don't need to pretend it's a sports manga anymore.

Reika gave the team their second air and has been blocking no.11 and just saved the third goal of them, how is she more worn out? first have you played a competitive sport?? even if you enter the second half at the end you get tired like the rest of the team and you remember she didn't play the first half 'cause she isn't still in her 100%??

the team is still pretty rookie and they're only 11 (can't believe reika convinced him) ... it's harder for them to make them change strategies, he can only get them to pump on for now, specially since no.6 blocks really fast mai or the other players when they attack, so they can just attack for the sides, they need to get over the giant to get the goal (like what happened with the first and second goal), so Mai fighting her ... getting the giant only focused in her was the right choice.

I guess I missed something or something wasn't depicted, cause I don't see/get where was a foul there. They both face-planted, but it look like either one had did anything to the other to cause it. Seemed like they both just got overbalanced, not a foul.

Nothing's really happened in the last 10 chapters. Pace of writing has ground to a halt. Don't remember how many chapters Mai's been out-played, out-muscled, out-schemed by Giant Girl. Now we're going to get another chapter of how Mai "powered up" because the rain stopped, only to get out-run, out-smarted, and out-hustled by Giant Girl anyway.

Here's what probably happened.

The author wanted Giant Girl to be a crushingly unstoppable force no one can do anything against and, in many ways, she is just that. When done right, this particular plot device is a good way to show what happens when your protagonists are cornered into a desperate situation. This, however, can only work when your characters have already faced and overcome a fair number of obstacles before which, obviously, isn't the case here.

I can't help but compare her to Eyeshield 21's Gaou because she is basically a gender swap of that character, which isn't the problem here. The problem is that by the time Gaou was introduced, we were way into the story and our protagonists had defeated quite a list of very diverse and formidable foes. Regardless of whether or not they beat him, they were given the time to properly grow into a team capable of at least facing that type of monster.

Here not only our characters are still a bunch of inexperienced rookies but we're so early into the manga (this is their second official game, I think?) the stakes aren't nearly high enough to make it exciting.

It's too bad because aside from this sadly crucial detail, the trope is relatively well depicted. Oh well, we all know what we're really here for.

Nothing's really happened in the last 10 chapters. Pace of writing has ground to a halt. Don't remember how many chapters Mai's been out-played, out-muscled, out-schemed by Giant Girl. Now we're going to get another chapter of how Mai "powered up" because the rain stopped, only to get out-run, out-smarted, and out-hustled by Giant Girl anyway.

Who cares? I just love the shapes of these girls.

Watching them running around and getting wet is all the charm of this manga.

Nothing's really happened in the last 10 chapters. Pace of writing has ground to a halt. Don't remember how many chapters Mai's been out-played, out-muscled, out-schemed by Giant Girl. Now we're going to get another chapter of how Mai "powered up" because the rain stopped, only to get out-run, out-smarted, and out-hustled by Giant Girl anyway.

*sigh*

I feel like the author's out of tricks in their writing. Kunimitsu's made no contributions as a coach, Mai is just chasing the ball, and Reika's been irrelevant this whole match. I still don't get the point of having her sit out the first half of the game when she hasn't done anything in the second half. How is she more worn out than everyone else?

They should just stop playing soccer and the author should just turn this into an ecchi harem rom-com. Don't need to pretend it's a sports manga anymore.

sadly they make the best goal of the tournament when they already where too far to get the draw the match.

And now we find out Chidori is the smartest one on the field. Just what can't that little ball of sunshine do? God bless.

we have Reika and Mai being the stars, but they are too far from Chidori, what a good expression to describe her "a little ball of sunshine", she's the best <3 (maybe even Kunimitsu's level of pro plays)